The present invention relates generally to spreaders for spreading materials such as for example salt, sand or fertilizer or combinations of these, and more particularly to a polyethylene replaceable tailgate mounted spreader. The spreader of the present invention mounts to the tailgate of a vehicle and in the disclosed embodiment, the spreader of the present invention replaces the tailgate on a typical vehicle, such as for example a dump truck. The replaceable tailgate spreader of the present invention can temporarily or permanently replace the standard tailgate of a vehicle.
Replaceable tailgate spreaders are known in the industry. The known replaceable tailgate spreaders are constructed of either carbon or stainless steel and have separate hydraulic motors for the augur and spinner. The carbon or stainless steel construction makes these known tailgate spreaders very heavy and expensive. The carbon steel units are also susceptible to corrosion, particularly when used to spread salt, a highly corrosive material. The need for hydraulic power is also a disadvantage. Hydraulic power requires that the vehicle to which the unit is mounted have a hydraulic power source. This limits the use of the unit to vehicles having an available hydraulic power source and is extremely costly if it needs to be added after the truck has been built. This would be typical on electric hoist dump units, which have become popular over the past several years for through put in the production environment. Additionally, hydraulic fluid can leak from the vehicle or system creating environmental problems.
Another disadvantage is that these units typically need to be professionally installed due their weight and the need for hydraulic lines to be routed to the unit. This adds cost to the overall system.
The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by providing a lightweight polyethylene replaceable tailgate spreader that is powered by the vehicles electric supply. The spreader is easily installed to a vehicle and doesn't require professional installers. A controller is also provided for controlling the various operational aspects of the spreader.